Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Autism Awareness Month

I just happen to come across this on someones blog. I read it and it makes sense. It makes me a little teary eyed, but good.
So with this I have a list of thing I am trying.
1. Trying not to feel all alone.
2. Trying to learn more about my son's condition.(dispite there being such a HUGE spectrum and that no two kid suffering from Autism are the same)
3. Trying not to feel like a fog stagnating through a sunny day.
4. Trying to figure out a way to teach Kalani.
5. Trying to give Leilani the love and affection she deserves.
6. Trying to not feel the urge to tell everyone that my son has Autism.(Because I feel the need to explain the reason why he freaks out at the check out stand when what ever he wants, needs to be scanned. If it leaves his hands he just has a mental break down.)
7. Trying to be understanding to other loving moms when (I talk to much) they tell me that all kids do the stuff that Kalani does.
This Poem just sums it up
Kalani is just different.. A little slower paced. But I still havent found the Guide book for him.








WELCOME TO HOLLANDbyEmily Perl Kingsley.c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

2 comments:

Carol said...

I know I could never begin to understand what it's like for you...but I think you are a great mom and Kalani is lucky to have you.

I read a little story like the HOlland one about "Australia" and it's steared towards adoption. Funny how they are similar.

Heather said...

I have heard that story before and loved it then like I do now.

I too think that you are an amazing mom just like Kalani is an amazing boy :)